What Girl Wouldn't?
by mystupidityoutdoesmystupidity
Summary: I was in love with my best friend. His sister knew it. His brother knew it. Even his dad knew it. But I had to fall for the emotionally oblivious guy. This is beyond cliche, this is my life. OOC Chlerek.
1. Initial Confrontation

"Chloe!" Tori's shriek successfully breaking through my daydream. "I really need to find the right outfit!"

"Sorry. I must have spaced a bit." I returned with a sigh. I'd much rather return to my daydream world than "help" Tori find the next fashionable outfit she would wear on her date with Ash. My daydreams were usually more appealing than reality because they tended to revolve around my best friend. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Protective was nowhere to be seen, likely hiding himself away from his sister's wrath.

Derek was by far my best friend as well as the source of all of my current frustrations. I wished that there was a way for me to test my (or rater Tori and Jamie's) suspicions. I desperately wished that they were right. What I wouldn't give to have his muscular arms scoop me up and hold me close to his broad shoulder and increasingly attractive figure. He'd then lean down and kiss me, on the lips not the usual location (my forehead), with his own deliciously soft lips. Those pink lips pulling up into the smile he reserved for me alone as he pulled away. I would quickly wrap my arms around his neck and pull him in for a longer and deeper kiss. He'd slip his tongue along my lips as he waited for me to open my mouth as I gently tugged his silky, dark locks. His body would shiver against mine as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

"You should really just tell him. Or maybe a kiss would get your message across better. He'd definitely go for that," Tori started. "Actually, better just tell him. We don't you two jumping each other."

"Tori that will never happen. I've known him for so long, been friends with him for so long, that I highly doubt that he would even think of me like that." I could still remember the day we met as if it were yesterday but that's a story for another time. "He's never shown an interest in me; or any girl for that matter."

"Chloe. Derek's not as protective of his own _sister_ as he is of you. You've never seen him interested in another girl because she would be just that, another girl. I will _make_ you see it. I promise," Tori snapped, comforting me in her unique way. "In any case, I can tell you will not be convinced before I leave nor will you be any help whatsoever. You may go."

"Okay. Have you seen your birthdays?" I questioned.

"I will just answer with the one brother I know you really care about. He's in the living room. Can't you hear the TV?" Tori chuckled. She gave me a knowing look before turning back to the mirror. "Oh, by the way, you're spending the night tomorrow."

Tori may seem like an unpleasant person. If you asked her brothers, they would whole-heartedly agree with you. However, I've been friends with her almost as long as I have Derek and her brothers have never gotten along with their only sister. Siblings never seem to bond in the peace-loving way that's portrayed in the movie. They tease and they squabble but they obviously love each other.

Tori's appearance would scream either prep or punk depending on how you looked at it. She had the style and skirts of a prep but her black hair and expressions would lead you to believe her to be a punk. I knew that she could be a jerk to our class mates and I knew that she could be the nicest friend in the world, excluding Derek. She physically resembled Simon and their father Kit a very small amount. The Korean showed through in the least possible way. Her mother was out of the picture and had been for a long time. She was not a good mother and she definitely did not deserve a daughter like Tori.

In the living room, I found Derek with his back to me. He was watching some boring science channel show. He was such a geek sometimes. Okay, a majority of the time. He aced all of his science and math tests and left all the dating to his brother, Simon. He was adopted by Mr. Bae shortly before we met.

Simon was completely different matter. His kind face and blonde hair charmed most of the girls. The rest took an interest once he turned that startling smile and unassuming stance their way. I was glad he had never turned that interest towards me. That could have easily ruined our friendship.

Simon's cartoon styling was well-known throughout the school, particularly as the best. His drawings only encouraged people to like him even more. Simon's grades were not the best but I knew he would have had an easier time if he wasn't drawing during class. Teachers don't particularly like that.

Mentally returning to the living room, I attempted to sneak up behind the subject of my affections and jumped over the back of the couch. I had figured my trajectory wrong and instead of landing next to Derek, landed on his lap. Making the best of the situation, I wrapped my arms tight around his neck.

"Hi," I said shyly. I knew there was really no reason to hide, but I still buried my face in his chest. I could not believe that I just did that. I started to move off his lap only to feel his arms tighten around my waist.

"Hello," he replied, sounding amused but not at all surprised. "Want to watch a movie?"

"Sure." I mourned another attempt as Derek flipped through the channels. He had outstanding senses. He was always able to hear people within the room. I wouldn't be surprised if he could smell everyone from a distance though he had never said anything about that.

Derek settled on one of my favorite movies, knowing I would quickly become absorbed. I did. Part of the way through, however, his arms loosened around me and I could feel his head resting against my neck. When did that happen? I gently and slowly moved my head so I could see his face. His expression was relaxed and he had a slight smile on his face. Derek looked so vulnerable while he slept. I ran my hand along his jaw lightly, loving how strong it felt. As I pulled away a little more, his brow furrowed and his arms tightened around me, successfully securing me in place. I then ran my finger over the crease in his forehead to smooth it out, settling back against him once I was done.

As the movie was coming to an end, Simon poked his head into the room and smiled when he saw Derek and me. I waved from my position squirming a bit. I felt Derek stir against my neck, drowsily kissing it. I must imagined it. That would not have happened. Derek removed his head from my neck and peered peacefully at Simon, still half asleep. I could see as he gained the rest of his consciousness because the emotionless mask slid back into place.

Simon hadn't responded to Derek making an unusual move which confirmed my suspicions that my imagination was playing with me. I wished it hadn't been. I wished my daydreams would suddenly come true. I can't live like this much longer. Thankfully, the rest of my friends seemed to have picked up on it.

Tori burst through the door and stormed over to Simon before hitting the back of his head. He winced but shot a smug look her way. I was almost afraid to ask what had happened. With those two, it was better not to know half the time.

"Okay. I'll bite. What is going on?" I asked, unable to prevent the words from leaving my mouth.

"Your least favorite sibling decided to interrupt my date." Tori was obviously furious. Had I been in Simon's place, I would have moved away at an alarming rate.

"I'm not her least favorite sibling! I'm her favorite!" Simon retorted. We all knew that wasn't true. I loved Si like a brother but he was just not Derek. He winked in my direction. He was trying to get a rise out of both his siblings in one night. Great.

"We all know that I'm her favorite and that Simon was being a jerk. You can both leave now," Derek rumbled. I shivered again, hoping no one would notice. Tori did but chose to simply smirk in my direction. I imagined how that voice would spread through me even faster when he was closer to me. If he were leaning into my ear, speaking in that just-woken-up voice, telling me how he loved me. How he would always love me and how much he had wished for us to be together since we hit puberty. I imagined how his hands would feel travelling along my hip, brushing my hair from my face, wrapped in that hair while we were kissing. I was sure that every time we would touch, even the simplest brush, we would feel as though electricity was racing between us. That electricity would push us together and we would become addicted to each other's touch. We would-

Derek's voice speaking right next to my ear, transferring me from fantasy to reality once more. He had apparently been trying to get my attention. Simon and Tori were still standing in the doorway, now joined by Kit. Kit had a worried expression on his face. Simon and Tori were looking particularly smug. I was dreading any time alone with Tori anytime soon.

"Chloe, honey, are you okay?" Kit asked. He had been at work when Tori left but must have come back sometime during the movie. He probably even stopped in when he got home but I was too into the movie to notice. It would have been before Derek fell asleep. Derek was an incredibly light sleeper.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little out of it today," I assured him. I could feel Derek moving beneath me trying to catch a glimpse of my face. His attention was thankfully diverted as a knock came at the door. I wondered who else would be visiting so late in the evening.

"Tori. You forgot your purse in my car," Ash muttered as he entered the room. As his gaze lit upon Derek holding me protectively, his eyes lit up. He saw an unknown opportunity to make a joke. "Well, look who's finally together."

"What are you talking about, idiot?" Derek shot Ash's way. He had only known Ash for the short month Ash had been dating Tori. Neither Ash nor Derek went out of their ways to get to know others, especially each other. Personally, I think the two would have gotten along great if they tried; their personalities were basically the same.

"What am I talking about? You've got Chloe on your lap, dude. You don't think that's unusual?" Ash asked incredulously. We all gave him the same looking, telling him he was being dumb. It wasn't unusual for Derek and me to curl up together at either of our houses. We knew that the school frowned upon that sort of thing so we didn't sit like this at school.

"You really are dumb," Tori muttered. She dragged him out the door and onto the front lawn. She came back in a couple minutes later with the most hilarious look on her face. She seemed to be unable to believe that Ash was her boyfriend. "How could I be dating him?"

"Anyways, Chloe, are you staying for dinner?" Kit asked. I don't know why he asked every time. I always stayed and my aunt didn't expect me home until late normally because of how frequently I was over here. I knew she wouldn't have a problem with me spending the night tomorrow either.

"Of course. You know I can't resist a Bae specialty," I stated.

"I've already eaten so I'm going to head up to my room. Chloe, you coming?" Tori asked. I knew this was coming. I was dreading it really but I knew better than to put it off. I stood to join Tori on the stairs and glanced back to see Derek watching me go. Simon had taken the spot next to him on the couch and was saying something to him. Derek looked in Simon's direction to answer and I turned back around to follow Tori up the stairs and into her room.

"So…how was the movie?" Tori inquired as soon as the door was closed.

"It was fine. We watched one of my favorites. I should probably say that I watched one of my favorites. Derek fell asleep half-way through," I muttered, blushing.

"And that blush says there's something more," Tori shot back. She could almost always tell when I was leaving something out; everyone could. I hated my blush now more than ever.

"Well, at the end of the movie, Simon came home from his date. I waved and had to move around to do so because Derek was, as you saw, holding me to him. I swear I felt Derek wake up and kiss my neck but no one else seemed to respond to the action so I must have been wrong. I wish he had," I sighed out. I knew that I sounded like a ridiculous girl with a ridiculous crush but I just couldn't help it. I had loved Derek for so long and being able to talk about it was the most I got out of this ordeal I found myself in.

"Ewwwww, that's my brother. Ugh. But, for your sake, I will pretend it is another guy from our school. I think you have it bad and it's about time we did something about it," Tori said.

"I don't even know what _to_ do about it. The guy is totally oblivious to anything involving feelings." I was incredibly frustrated. I knew Derek very well and knew that for him to notice something you have to flat-out say it but I was really wishing for another course of action.

"Well, lucky for you, I have a plan." Tori cackled in that way that only she can. I was sure at that moment that I should be incredibly terrified.

"Um…thanks but I'm not sure."

"Oh, you don't have a choice. Trust me. I know what to do. That sleepover we're having will now be expanded to include Liz," Tori informed me. That was both good and bad. Liz was a wonderful person, nice and cheerful. Her blonde locks often fell around her shoulders and her eyes also attracted Simon. That would be good because she could serve as a distraction for one of the brothers. I'm sure that's what Tori had planned. "I'm also picking out your pajamas and your clothes for Saturday."

"Tori, that's so pointless. What's the difference in clothes going to do? I dress perfectly fine." I knew instinctively that I didn't have a choice but I wanted to put forth some semblance of a fight against her tyrannical rule. I really couldn't see the point though. Clothes were clothes and Derek wouldn't notice a difference.

"With what I have planned, Derek won't know what hit him," Tori stated. This could end badly for me.

"What _exactly_ do you have planned?" I asked, fearing the answer.

"Well, first, we'll have short-shorts and a tank top. Then, we'll all gather in the living room to watch a scary movie. We'll also have pizza but that doesn't really matter. Assuming that we can convince the boys to stay for the next part, it will be the first big hit at Derek's emotion-wall." Tori's voice took on this mischievous quality. "But you can't know what that part of the plan is. You know, I really shouldn't tell you any of it. In fact, I think I'll keep it all to myself from that point on."

"What are you planning, Tori?" A deep, irritated growl came from the other side of the door. I shot Tori a look, knowing who was on the other side of that door and what he could have heard.

"Nothing, neanderthal. Why are you here?" Tori questioned as she opened the door to reveal a very annoyed looking Derek.

"Dinner's ready. Dad sent me up to get Chloe," Derek mumbled. He wasn't big on talking. I got up and followed him down the stairs. I sat at my usual spot at the table, across from Simon and Kit and next to Derek.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Kit asked Simon about his date, Derek about his classes, and me about my screen-writing. I had wanted to be a screen-writer since I was younger but I recently actually started working on scripts. I told him that it was going well. I also mentioned how Derek and Simon, though mostly Simon, had been pestering me to show them my current work. That was not going to happen soon.

After dinner, I noticed that it was nearing the time that Aunt Lauren would be expecting me. She could be a bit overprotective. She hadn't initially liked Derek when she first met him, judging him based on his size, which was still rather large at that younger age. He couldn't help it any more than I could help how short I was. She loosened up a bit as time went by but if I wasn't with the Bae's she worried just as much.

Derek volunteered to take me home, as usual. I glanced at him a lot on the way home. I once again noticed the things that always drew my attention: his hands and his face. His hands looked like the gentlest things about him and I could easily remember them pulling me up after he fought off the bullies of my first grade class. His face was drawn back in his usual scowl. He was always regretful when he took me home. He hated how little involvement my dad had in my life after my mom died. He hated that I had to live with my aunt because Dad was out of the picture a majority of the time. I reached over to set my hand upon his as I tried to ease his worry. He knew that I would be fine.

"I'll see you in the morning," I told Derek, leaning over to hug him once we stopped in front of the apartment. "Don't worry, Der-Bear, I'll be fine."

He smiled slightly at the use of the nickname from our childhood. I could see the acceptance cross his face. I stepped out of the car and waved, finally getting a response.

When I got to my room, I got ready for bed before drifting off to sleep. I dreamt about the first time Derek and I met.

_~Flashback~_

_It was the middle of the year. Daddy had dropped me off, reassuring me that it would be fine. The kids would accept me and I would have friends. We wouldn't move again. I could live here and grow up with the kids I met today. I hesitantly walked to the door, the whole way reassuring myself with his words. I could see the teacher that Daddy had taken me to meet a few days ago._

"_Chloe!" The teacher called out to me. She pulled me closer to her classroom and told me that everything would be fine and that I would fit right in. She seemed to know exactly what to say._

_Once we were in the classroom, she asked me to tell the class about myself. I didn't want to do it. I knew that they would make fun of me. The kids at my last school did. The teacher urged me to continue._

"_I-I-I'm Ch-Chloe…" I said before taking the first seat I saw. The girls near me were named Jessica and Kimberly. The just giggled and whispered to each other. They glanced at me occasionally. I didn't like them._

_At recess, the boys in our class teased me. They said that I didn't know how to speak, that I should just stop trying. I started tearing up. The boys pushed me down as they raced past. I just sat there, in the mud, my pink dress, my favorite dress, getting dirty._

"_You okay?" A voice muttered above me. I looked up to see a boy with dark hair and bright green eyes. He was holding his hand out to help me up. I pulled myself up and kept going, putting my arms around the boy. I stood there sobbing and he eventually put his arms around me. He didn't seem to know what to do. I pulled away and apologized quickly._

"_Don't worry. I'm Derek." He seemed sincere. I wasn't even sure why he had come to help me when everyone else seemed to hate me._

"_Wh-why are you h-h-here?" I asked. I didn't mean to sound rude, it just came out._

"_I wanted to make sure you were okay. If you want I can leave you alone." The boy, Derek, seemed to be unsurprised that someone wouldn't want to talk to him._

"_D-do you want to be friends? D-Daddy says th-that I-I should make f-f-friends," I replied quickly. I didn't want the nice boy to leave me by myself in this new place._

"_Sure," Derek now seemed surprised that there was someone who was willing to befriend him. I grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the school._

_And thus our epic friendship started. We were together from that point on. He was there for me when my mother died and I was there for him when he dealt with the return of his biological father._

_**A/N: This is my new story. Yes, it's a cliche. I'm incredibly pleased to say that this chapter is longer than my chapters for other fics. Let me know what you think. I will be putting my own twist on this story. Part of it has already been mentioned in this chapter. I'll give you a hint. The Jamie I mentioned is not just a random character. Leave a review, per favore.**_

_**~MSOMS**_


	2. The Sleepover: Part 1

At school the next day, I kept simultaneously wishing that the day would go both quicker and slower. I was excited for the sleepover but super nervous about how Tori's plan would go over. That girl had a devious mind.

During my classes with Derek he kept glancing over worriedly. He even passed me a note at one point saying "_Are you okay?"_ I think that was the first time I've ever seen him pass a note in…well my whole time knowing him. When we were younger, I used to pass him notes because, let's face it, I got bored in my classes. He would respond in kind even though he usually paid attention. I think he did it so he didn't hurt my feelings.

Jamie and Hope continuously teased me at lunch. They noticed, as girls usually do, how much time I spent staring at my best friend. I couldn't avoid having my friends know about it. They all had that radar that whispered to them, "_Chloe likes Derek."_

Jamie was a stunning slip of a girl. I knew that she got a lot of attention from the males at our school. She wasn't interested in them but that didn't deter them that much. She was self-assured and kind. She seemed to be able to pick up things that others couldn't. I sometimes wondered if she had a sixth sense. She was part of the drama club but didn't bring too much drama into our friendship, which I was grateful for.

Hope didn't bring drama either. She did, however, seem to enjoy some more risky behaviors. She didn't do anything immoral, though. She was courteous and lovely. She always had her long, curly, black hair pulled up into a ponytail in an attempt to contain it. Her features made her look like an exotic princess and I knew that she would easily catch the next guy she set her sights on. When she had transferred from her last private school, she had brought only one friend with her, Robyn.

"Chloe, are you excited for tonight?" Jamie asked me when Derek and I sat down. She winked at us both. "I bet others are."

"Yes, Jamie. I'm _always_ excited to go to my favorite family's house," I said pointedly. "How's Jeremy? Still keeping his distance?"

"We know you are. _Jeremy_ is worried about the age difference between us but I will be wearing him down," Jamie told me. Jeremy was her current infatuation. He was a college boy with a laid back manner. He had a powerful feeling to him but I knew that he was really a teddy-bear. I couldn't wait for them to get together. He obviously liked her. "What's your excuse, Derek?"

"What excuse?" Derek asked, not taking a break from his food. He was not a fan of the redhead; or, at least, not enough of one to actually talk to her in long sentences.

"Why, your excuse for not asking out _your_ girl!" She exclaimed wickedly. I gave her a glare saying I knew what she was up to. This was not going to be a fun lunch period.

"My girl?" Derek sounded genuinely confused. Of course he would be confused. He didn't spend time talking with any girls other than our friends. He didn't spend time talking to anyone who wasn't our friends, actually.

"Don't worry about it, Derek. Jamie's just being her usual crazy self," I told him. I gave Jamie a glare as I said it. Derek quickly went back to his food, not caring what the others thought. "What do you think of the new math teacher?"

The topic was successfully changed at that. Jamie's least favorite subject was math and I had just given her an opening to rant about how much she hated the teacher as well as the class.

At the end of the day, Derek, Simon, Tori, Liz and I piled into the Bae's car. Liz already had her bag but because Tori was picking my clothes we would stop at my house to get my stuff. I figured I could just stay in the car while she went in to get the clothes. She knew exactly where my clothes were kept. Tori had spent as much time at my house as I had hers. Okay, maybe not as much but close to. When we arrived at my house, I was surprised to see Liz get out of the car along with Tori.

"Shouldn't you go with them?" Simon asked. "Who knows what they'll get you if you don't."

"We all know that there's nothing I could do to change their minds once they picked the clothes out," I pointed out. "They'll just force me to wear whatever they pick up."

"True," Si agreed. "I'm excited for tonight, though."

"Because Liz will be there?" I asked, smiling. Simon's crush was the most obvious thing in the world. The only person who hadn't noticed was Liz. I could see the blush spreading across his cheeks.

"What? No. Because _you'll _be there," Simon said. Derek scowled at him. Derek was not a big fan of lying, especially to those close to him.

"No. It's Liz," Derek grunted.

"Oh, look! Here come Tori and Liz!" Simon said, forcing us to stop teasing him. He knew we wouldn't say anything in front of her.

We left my house as soon as Tori and Liz got settled. They spent the ride over whispering and giggling amongst themselves. Derek glanced back at me in the mirror to see me role my eyes and make a face. I saw the corners of his mouth twitch up in a slight smile. I smirked and settled back. I would make faces at him every time he looked back for the rest of the ride if it gained me a smile.

Tori dragged Liz and me to her room to change as soon as we got to her house. I had no clue why we had to change so early but I didn't put up much of a fight. I opened my bag to see what they packed for my pajamas. Sure enough, I saw a pair of short-shorts and a tank-top. I suddenly wished that I hadn't bought those shorts but they had been so comfortable at the time. I didn't think anyone else would see me in them.

"Why did you have to grab these?" I asked, exasperated. Tori had said that this was part of the plan but I had been holding a slight hope that it wasn't actually going to happen.

I pulled on my clothes for the night and was about to pull the door open when Tori took over and sat me down in a chair. I couldn't think of anything that she would want to do that would prevent me from going downstairs.

"We're going to put your hair up to show your neck a bit more," Tori told me pulling out a hairband and wrapping it around my hair. I could not believe they were taking this so seriously. I glanced over to see Liz smile at me encouragingly.

DPOV

"You should just tell her," Simon said from next to me. This just _had_ to come up. Chloe was the one who brought up Liz, not me.

"I could say the same to you." I glared at Simon, hoping he'd take the hint and leave me alone. I didn't need my brother telling me to make a move on the girl I loved. I knew she didn't like me and I knew that there wouldn't be a time when she did. No one liked me. No one could like me.

I heard the girls coming down the stairs, Chloe lagging behind. Her hesitant footsteps gradually getting farther and farther behind the other girls. I glanced up from my sandwich making to see the girls enter the room. They both seemed to be wearing the same type of outfits. _Oh, no, no, no. I really hope Chloe isn't wearing that as well._

_**I hope she is.**_

_Shut up, pervert._

At that, Chloe entered the kitchen. I felt the bread fall from my hands as I took in Chloe's appearance. Her shorts showed more of her legs than usual and brought attention to her butt. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the skin of her legs until I noticed that the shorts likely meant that she was, in fact, dressed like Tori and Liz were. My gaze travelled up only slowing as they neared the top of her torso. I could see the creamy skin of her neck clearly because of the way her hair was pulled up. I personally preferred her with her soft, golden hair down where I could bury my face in it.

_**Imagine what you could do if you told her how you felt. You could kiss and nibble her soft neck. You could pull her onto your lap and hold her tight. You could have continued kissing her neck when you were barely awake instead of stopping.**_

I really didn't need those thoughts going through my head right now. I averted my eyes and picked up the bread. I finished making my sandwich only to look up and see everyone staring at me.

"What?" I grunted.

"I asked if you guys wanted to watch a movie with us. Simon said he would. What about you, idiot?" Tori said. She knew that I was anything but an idiot. I grunted in response, letting them figure out what I meant.

"Yay!" Liz exclaimed as she grabbed Simon's hand and started pulling him out of the room. He just followed her like a love-struck idiot. It was kind of ridiculous that even I could see that he liked her. Simon had come to me recently and told me that he liked Liz. I don't know why he would come to me since I am worse off than him.

"Come on," Chloe said, giving me a shy smile. She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the living room. I'm sure I looked similar to how Simon had when Liz took him. I had come to terms with my feelings a while ago. I was looking forward to another movie with Chloe. She never could get enough of them. Knowing Tori, we'll be watching some sappy romance. Ugh. That is something I'm not looking forward to.

I sat down on the couch and felt Chloe curl up next to me. Simon and Liz were sitting on the loveseat across from the TV. Tori took the arm chair after putting the movie in the player. I stretched my legs out in front of me and slumped against the back of the couch. I stared at the TV waiting for the previews to be over.

I was surprised when I saw Insidious instead of some random chick-flick. I thought this was a girl's sleepover. What kind of girl watches horror movies? Oh, right. It's Tori. She's deranged. I knew that Chloe didn't like horror movies and was not surprised when she grabbed my hand again. I put my arm along the back of the couch and cursed Tori for picking a movie that would probably terrify Chloe. On the other hand, Chloe would probably jump every ten seconds and I could comfort her. I would put my arm around her and tell her that I would protect her. She'd bury her face in my chest only to jump again. She would land in my lap after that jump and I'd then wrap both arms around her to hold her tight. I would then kiss her head while her lovely strawberry smell infiltrated my nose. She'd tilt her head up and I would brush those lovely, pink lips with my hands gently. I would then lean in to kiss her softly. She'd want more and kiss me more intensely only to deepen the kiss once more. She'd lick my bottom lip and I'd fight her tongue with my own. We'd fight for domination while everyone was distracted by the movie.

I felt Chloe jump against my side and realized that I had missed the beginning of the movie. I looked over to see Chloe as pale as a ghost. I wrapped my arm protectively around her shoulder growling at Tori. She glanced over at the sound and smirked. _Please tell me she doesn't know._

CPOV

Derek wrapped his strong arm around my shoulders. I buried my head in his shoulder and peeked out to see what happened next. This movie was really scary. I was even impressed with the effects and costumes. There were some things I would have changed. I would have taken out some of the clichés. The boy wouldn't have to be the one facing the monster. The house wouldn't be a major part of the movie.

I squealed as the shadow appeared on the screen once more. I took my opportunity to climb onto Derek's lap. I pulled his big hands up in front of my eyes and looked over the top. One of the main appeals of horror movies in the market was teenagers trying to get closer to their dates. I was perfectly willing to use that to my advantage. I was quick to pull Derek's hands further up and cowered against Derek. I felt him lean into me as well. The movie must have been _that_ scary.

"You okay? I won't let them get you, you know that," Derek rumbled in my ear. That voice did things to me every time.

When the villain finally came on the screen, the actual villain not the minions, I screamed and jumped against. My head jammed against Derek's and I turned away from the screen to apologize. I noticed how close Derek and I were while the apology died on my lips. I licked my lips and my throat was dry. I glanced down at Derek's lips and couldn't tear my eyes away. I leaned in slightly as my breath caught in my throat. Derek leaned in as well, his head tilting to the right. My hand found its way into his hair, his soft, soft hair that was somewhat distracting. We continued closing in before the music swelled and I heard another scream. I jumped before looking over to the loveseat to see Simon hiding behind Liz. He seemed to be asking her if the monster was gone yet. I laughed at the sight, crumbling against Derek. I was really disappointed that Simon had interrupted with his lack of bravery. However, the scene was hilarious as Liz was laughing at the movie and saying how Simon was being a baby. She said that the movie wasn't even scary. I saw Tori also laughing against the loveseat. I could not believe that neither of them thought that the movie was scary. Those jerks had probably seen it before.

I pouted where I sat while the final scene played out. The lights came on shortly after the credits started. Tori went to take the movie out. She grabbed the case (even the _case_ was scary) and put the disc in side. She then turned to us slowly as a devious smile crossed her face.

"You guys want to order pizza?" She asked. She had already gotten Liz and my pizza order, probably had it memorized before we even said what we wanted this time. Yeah, we spent that much time together.

"I'll have peperoni," Simon said, finally emerging from behind Liz. "Derek'll eat anything."

"At least I wasn't afraid of a fake monster," Derek teased. This in itself was a sight to see. Derek only teased two people, Simon and me. He argued with Tori, spoke plainly with his dad but did not tease either of them. I think he was afraid that if he teased Kit, Kit would take him back to the orphanage or something. Tori and Derek just didn't get along.

"I wasn't afraid of the movie," Simon said, puffing out his chest.

"Are you kidding? You were hiding behind Liz like a little girl," Tori sneered. "Do I need to get Daddy for you?"

"No! I was not afraid. Chloe was afraid! Not me!" Simon said. I just shrugged because it was true that I was scared. I knew my fear and I knew that there was no point in hiding them. I was not afraid to show it.

"So guys, do you want to play a game while we wait for pizza?" Liz suggested, having planned this with Tori. I was sure that this was part of the plan. Those two always and I mean always shared everything. I knew that this could end poorly. I also knew that there was no game that would get us out of this situation. We all agreed because we knew we had no real choice.

"Okay. I'll start. Liz, truth or dare?" Tori smirked. _Not truth or dare. Please not truth or dare._

"I'll take a dare. I'm not a chicken," Liz said, hardly deterred.

"I dare you…to sit on Si's lap." Tori said. Liz happily climbed up on Simon's lap. I wondered if she knew about Simon's date last night. I was fairly sure that it wasn't with her.

"Derek! Truth or dare?" Liz asked, the lug behind me. He stiffened against me. I knew he would have rather kept out of it. He chose dare like we all knew that he would.

"I dare you to take off your shirt." Liz beamed in our direction. I got off his lap so that he could easily take his shirt off. I sat on the other side of the couch and waited for him to do as he was told. As he did, I could see all of the muscles along his chest rippling. I imagined what it would feel like to run my hand along his chest, his muscles jumping under me.

"I'll take a truth," I heard Tori say distantly. I pulled my attention back to the rest of the room and away from the dangerous place. I wondered what Derek would say. I was unsure of what he could ask that we all didn't already know. His lips twisted up into a smirk as he considered the possibilities.

"What happened to Chloe's lunch box in seventh grade?" He asked. My lunch box? Why would Tori have my lunch box? I remembered that I had chosen that specific lunch box because it was for one of my favorite movies.

"I…threw it out," Tori mumbled. "But it was an accident! I was just clearing the table and I didn't see it was there. I swear I didn't mean to Chloe."

"It's fine," I reassured her. "It was so long ago."

"Chloe, truth or dare?" Tori asked sweetly. _That's not good. She's going to want to get back at Derek…and I can't say truth because she'd ask who I liked…_

"Dare?" I said quietly. I really didn't want to play this game.

"I dare you to…"

_**A/N: And here we have a cliffy. Sorry guys. I didn't want the chapter to get much longer. In any case, thanks for reading. I look forward to any reviews you might have. I know that Chloe and Derek seem a bit daydream-y but I just thought it'd be interesting to see it. If you don't agree, tell me. If you agree, tell me. The moral of the story is to always tell me. *^_^* Also, Derek's pervy thought voice thing that I included is similar to the wolf you see in other stories except I haven't decided if I'm going to have them have powers. I know from WotOW that there isn't actually a wolf voice but again I find it fun and interesting. **_

_**Thanks so much,**_

_**~MSOMS**_


	3. The Sleepover: Part 2

Chapter 3

CPOV

"I dare you to kiss Derek for two minutes," Tori said. I knew it! Make Derek kiss his best friend to get back at him for making Tori tell something she would have rather kept secret. I was almost willing to thank her but I was closer to cursing her because this was definitely not going to help when it came to my unrequited love. It _would_ add to my fantasies though.

I turned to Derek to see a look of utter fear. Oh great. He's afraid to kiss me. Maybe I was wrong in thinking he had hit puberty. Though that wouldn't explain his sexy, deep voice or his bad acne problem from a few years ago. I crawled over to him and saw him swallow nervously. I stopped just in front of him. I was sure I was trembling with anticipation. Derek's arms reached out and pulled me toward him. I straddled his lap, figuring that I should get comfortable because of the time limit. I mean, who really wants to bend over for two minutes straight?

"Anyone have a stopwatch handy?" I muttered, getting lost in the lovely emeralds Derek calls his eyes.

"Of course! Whenever you're ready," Tori exclaimed. Of course. She had planned this. _Duh_, Chloe.

My eyes once again snapped to Derek's lips. I couldn't wait to finally kiss them. They always felt so soft on my forehead. I started leaning closer at the same time as Derek. I titled my head back and licked my lips so they weren't so dry. Even with me sitting on Derek's lap, his head was still higher than mine. This would be my first kiss. I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't get much time to really think about it before my eyes closed and Derek hesitated before pressing his delicious lips against my own.

The effect was immediate. Every cliché I'd heard about kissing your true love didn't even come close to touching how I felt. Derek's mouth was commanding against my own. My whole body heated as he pulled and sucked on my bottom lip. I returned the favor on his top lip as I threaded my hands through his hair. Derek released mine after a while of teasing and brushed his tongue against my lips. I opened my mouth, needing this as fodder for my imagination and only having a limited time. Derek thrust his tongue in my mouth as if he was thinking the same thing. I knew that was wishful thinking. I pushed my body closer as my tongue wrestled with his. His hands drifted down my sides and landed on my waist. The expanse of his hand was large enough that his fingers landed on my butt. I could feel his arousal pressing in to me as he groped my butt. The entire experience was almost overloading my brain. Derek's tongue explored the cavern of my mouth. He brushed it along my teeth and the roof of my mouth. How had I never realized just how erogenous those areas were?

I thought I heard Tori say that time was up but that couldn't be possible. We hadn't been kissing long enough. The words must not have broken through to Derek because he didn't slow or pull back from the kiss. The top of his hand was warm against the skin where my shirt had ridden up. His hand hesitantly slipped further up my shirt.

The doorbell rang and Derek pulled back, breathing hard. I could see the hunger in his darkened eyes. Simon left the room to pay the pizza guy, saying something about how he was glad the pizza had arrived when it did. I knew that Derek was also glad because the hunger in his eyes could be satisfied. That guy is _always_ hungry.

DPOV

I couldn't focus on anything as Simon returned with the pizza. I just kept replaying that kiss in my mind. I had just kissed Chloe. _Chloe._ Here was no way that was her first kiss. She had been way too good at it. I figured it wouldn't get much better in spite of my own non-existent experience. That became the best moment of my life as soon as it happened.

**_Yeah. That was one heck of a kiss. You need to do that again soon. Imagine what could have happened if you hadn't been interrupted. Your hands were definitely slipping closer to her perky breasts. That would have been awesome._**

_Not helping._

When I had pulled back, I had seen so much need in her eyes that I felt myself get even harder, if that was possible. Chloe moved to get off my lap, of course squirming and pushing against me. I had to swallow the whimper that almost escaped me. I quickly pulled a pillow from the couch to cover my lap. That was definitely something I didn't want anyone to see. I noticed a strawberry scent coming from my lap that was not typical of my home. I looked down to see that I had in fact grabbed Chloe's pillow instead of a couch one. _Great. Just great. I can't put it back without drawing attention to it._

**_But tonight, when Chloe uses it, she'll be putting her head right on top of the area on your crotch._**

_You are most definitely the most perverted thing in the world._

Simon suggested a game change as we ate. It didn't make much sense to continue with Truth or Dare while we ate because it would basically just become Truth. What he suggested was no better…Never Have I Ever. This would definitely end badly. I scowled at Simon, knowing where this game was going.

"No," I growled. I did not need this. Simon was going to pull something, I was sure of it. He knew exactly what to say and that would not be to my advantage.

"Too late. It's already been decided!" Simon said cheerfully. He shared a quick look for Tori making me think that neither was completely innocent in this turn of events.

"Before we start, I need to talk to Tori!" Chloe stated quickly. She gave Tori a look, telling her to just go quietly.

CPOV

"Wow. That was some kiss, huh Chloe?" Tori teased as soon as we left the guys and Liz. I blushed immediately. I couldn't stop myself from getting caught up in the memory. _Hey, if she didn't want me to become distracted she shouldn't have said that._

"Yeah. It definitely was," I said dreamily. I could still feel his body against mine. The way his muscles felt as my length pressed against his. The way his arousal had been so evident and big against my thigh. The way his tongue had tasted and worked so expertly with mine. I still couldn't believe that had been two minutes. It felt like it had been seconds but at the same time hours. I could imagine doing that for hours and never getting tired. I felt a goofy smile cross my face.

"Chloe! Snap out of it! You wanted to talk to me," Tori replied testily. She was never one to put up with the daydreams I slipped into about her brother. I couldn't really blame her though. She was sort of related to him, in a strictly legal way.

"Sorry! I just can't believe that just happened!" I squealed. I heard Liz coming up to join us. We must have been gone for longer than I thought. She ran up to me and hugged me. We did that weird hug and happy jump thing that girls did. I had never really had anything big to do that about but this was good enough for me.

"That was so hott! I can't believe that you two haven't kissed before! That went from a simple kiss to a full-out makeout way to quickly for that to be the case!" Liz whispered excitedly. I guess she had had to choose between whispering or yelling. I'm personally glad that she chose whispering

"We haven't! I think we might have misjudged Derek though. He was way too good at kissing to never have kissed anyone! I feel completely upset that he wouldn't have told me though," I pouted. I knew that it was completely irrational but I could feel the tears building up in my eyes. Derek always told me everything. He'd never kept anything from me before so why would he start with a secret relationship.

"I'm sure that he didn't keep anything from you, hun," Liz commented, pulling me in for a hug. She seemed to know exactly where I was coming from, maybe from Simon? Who knew.

"Okay! So now we're going to go back down there and play that game. You _must_ answer truthfully. If you don't we all will know and will hound you about it for the rest of the night," Tori scolded. She had just gone from happy for me to snappy in ten seconds; that's Tori for you.

We all went downstairs to grab some pizza before Derek finished his own box and started in on ours. I grabbed one piece because I knew I wouldn't be able to eat much at the moment. There was too much going on in my mind for that to work out well. The game started out easily enough. Tori said something silly followed by the rest of us trying to one-up her. This was actually a funny game. That is until _it_ happened. After that, it just went downhill quickly.

"Never have I ever fallen for my best friend," Simon said, smirking at Derek and me. I was afraid to admit it by lowering one of my fingers. I kept glancing at Derek to see if he was going to take the bait. Who am I kidding? There isn't any bait. He doesn't feel that way about me and he never will. That kiss may have confused us all into thinking maybe there was something there but there really wasn't.

DPOV

_Why isn't she putting her finger down? I don't want to if she doesn't?_

**_Maybe she's waiting for you to do it first, doofus._**

_Yeah, right. And I'm the queen of England. There's no way I'm admitting it if she doesn't._

There was a long silence where everyone was just watching Chloe and me. The rest of the group all had same-sex best friends and I was relatively certain that they were all interested in the opposite gender. The silence just grew more awkward as nothing happened. Chloe didn't put her finger down, so neither did I. I was quickly getting testy.

"Obviously, no one has so let's just continue on," I rumbled. I really wished that it weren't this way but I didn't have much choice. I couldn't hope to change Chloe's feelings. "This game is stupid, anyways. I'm done."

I got up and left the room to hear some murmurs behind me.

CPOV

"What just happened?" Liz questioned. I knew he didn't like me in that way, and yet, I still felt myself become more and more disappointed as time passed. I felt like I was going to cry. I just wanted a hug but the person that normally comforts me just left the room. Heck, the person who normally comforts me is the one who's causing me pain.

Simon stood to follow Derek out and none of us stopped him. Tori and Liz quickly sat on either side of me. They murmured that Derek had lied and that he did actually love me but I just couldn't believe them. I had seen and heard Derek and the whole event had played out. Who would ever love me? I was a shrimp. I had no curves unless I wore tight clothes. I had this boring hair the color of straw that always fell in the lankiest way. I had this ridiculous stutter that appears when I'm nervous or lying.

"Honey, he was lying. We can all see that he loves you," Tori said. "Why didn't you lower your finger?"

"I didn't want to look stupid and admit it if he didn't reciprocate my feelings. I had thought I might have a chance after that dare but he doesn't like me at all. I'm doomed to be his friend," I cried out.

"He probably didn't lower his finger because he was waiting for you to," Liz explained. It would have made sense if there was a possibility that Derek could ever love me.

"In any case, we can get that baboon to act on his urges by changing some simple things. I'll be over in the mornings to do your make-up and pick your outfits," Tori added. "He may be my brother but you're my friend and I will help in any way I can."

DPOV

"Hey, D. Are you okay?" Simon asked as he entered our shared room.

"No," I mumbled. I couldn't believe I had hoped that Chloe loved me. I'm just this ugly brute while she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.

"Okay. This has got to change," Si said. "We are going to change Chloe's mind."

"Not possible," I muttered. She would never love me.

"Sure it is. We just need to make a few changes."

"What?"

"First, you're going to start wearing different clothes." Simon smirked at me. He had a look in his eye like he seriously was going to dedicate is time to this useless cause.

"What's wrong with my clothes?" I exclaimed.

"We're going to get tighter clothes. Girls love that. Next, you're going to start initiating flirty gestures." Simon explained.

"Gestures? How can they be flirty? I thought flirting was only spoken." I had no clue what he was on about now. How was touching important? I mean, sure I loved to have my hands on the skin of Chloe's smooth, flawless arm but I couldn't see how such a thing was important. I would love to spend more time on that.

**_Yeah, you would. I could give you pointers on a lot of ways to make contact._**

"Yes. If you put your arm around her more, she'll take it as a sign that you're interested. Though, you do that a lot already. Not many guys get to hold hands or cuddle with the girls they like before they actually start dating them," Simon informed me.

"Wait. Really? I always assumed that was normal because we've always done that," I replied. Chloe and I had grown up with those acts so it was unnerving to find out that they were unusual. I guess that's why Chloe never did that at school. I could definitely use that to my advantage. If I started holding her hand at school, others would think that we were dating. It would be breaking my usual routine and Si said that touches encouraged girls.

"All right. Let's do it," I agreed. I may not think I could convince Chloe but I was going to try my hardest.

_**A/N: Hey guys. I almost didn't get this one done today because of a paper I had to write for one of my classes. Here it is, though. Let me know what you think. I wasn't sure how to portray a guy's thoughts. I know I did before but I was basically trying to imitate what I've read. xD I also don't know how I did with that make-out scene so LET ME KNOW! I really have absolutely no idea on either of those and I really would appreciate feedback.**_

_**Thanks for reading,**_

_**~MSOMS**_


	4. Howlin'

I never imagined that tonight would end with me laying on the ground. Of course, before it happened, I never imagined falling for my best friend. I _definitely_ never would have imagined myself agreeing to let Tori dress me.

Tori and Liz had fallen asleep ages ago and there's only so long one can listen to snores before getting annoyed. So, after a while, I decided to go outside. I'm not quite sure what made me decide to lay on the ground but it was a beautiful night and the stars shone brightly. I loved the sights and sounds of nature; they remind me of Derek.

"Chloe…" Derek's deep voice once more dragged me out of my thoughts and caused me to jump. "What are you doing?"

"Derek! What are _you_ doing out here? You look awful!" I said, climbing up him to reach his forehead. He was burning up, his eyes feverish and his body sweaty. While I was using him as a jungle gym, I could feel his muscles jumping and writhing. He absently scratched at his arm. I suppose clawed at his arm would be more accurate as I could see droplets of blood leaking out.

"I'm fine. I heard you come out and wanted to make sure everything was okay," Derek murmured. He had neither held me nor pulled away. That was unusual in and of itself because he had this ridiculous idea that everything I did wasn't safe.

"I just needed to get away from the snores. We should—" My words were cut short when Derek doubled over and reacquainted himself with the pizza from dinner. I reached over and rubbed his back, telling him that it would all be okay. I could feel his body heaving, muscles still writhing. I heard a loud crack as his arm flicked out at an unusual angle. This cracking and flailing continued for a while. It seemed like his form was changing but I had absolutely no idea why.

"Are you all right?" I asked when it was all over. "We should tell Kit. Don't give me that look. He deserves to know when something is happening to his son.

Derek's resigned sigh echoed back to me. I doubt he was even able to put up much of a fight at the moment. He hated worrying his adoptive father more than was entirely necessary. Nonetheless, I would ensure that Kit knew. It's not that Derek doesn't trust Kit, because he absolutely did. It was that Derek worried about taking care of everyone else, leaving me to care for him as much as he'd let me.

Derek abruptly stood up, pulling me with him. Kit was in the kitchen looking out at us as we crossed the deck. Derek took me inside where I wondered how everyone could have slept through the racket that Derek had made outside.

"What happened?" Kit asked.

"Nothing," Derek muttered. I rolled my eyes. _I knew this would happen._

"Derek's ill. He was feverish, vomiting, and spasming. I could also feel what seemed like his muscles were moving and shifting," I informed. I felt that he needed all of the symptoms before he could judge what was happening. I felt horrible, however, when Kit's face quickly paled and a panicked expression overtook his face.

"Derek, I need to speak with you, preferably alone," Kit said. He glanced in my direction and then back to Derek. His eyes flashed with worry. I knew it was serious.

"I'm not leaving. It's important and if you don't tell me I just be thinking of the worst possible explanation," I exclaimed. I gripped Derek's hand in a death grip. I'm sure my expression was one of pleading and hurt.

"It's fine. She'd just drag it out of my anyways," Derek agreed. I smirked, knowing it was true. Kit still looked unsure but I think he decided not to worry about it. His whole body was tense with his eyes darting between the window and the doorway, as if expecting someone with a chainsaw and ski mask to appear.

"This is difficult to explain so I'm going to have to ask you, Derek, to be patient with me. I didn't exactly find you in an orphanage. I used to work for an organization that worked with supernaturals. I, myself, am a sorcerer. You were part of an experiment to eliminate or reduce the harsh side-effects that come along with the supernatural gene. You and your brothers were part of a race that many consider dangerous. Shortly after I took you, your brothers attacked their care-giver, fanning the flames of resentment. I was unsure whether you were a supernatural because the only sign of you coming into your powers was your heightened senses. Before today, that is," Kit mumbled.

"Dad. What. Am. I?" Derek's patience was running thin today. Though, I could easily tell that that was a question Kit was talking circles around. I reached over and set my hand on his arm, more calming than restraining.

"You're a werewolf, as I'm sure you've figured out. You will need to change once a week. We have no way of knowing how the experiments affected your wolf instinct," Kit stated. "You might have barely any influence come from it or you might feel a lot of those instincts of a regular wolf. These instincts include having a pack and having a mate. You would feel protective of your pack and even more so of your mate. Your wolf may cause you to only love one woman and that woman would be the only one to catch your attention."

Kit's words left me with a terrible feeling of dread. Knowing Derek, his wolf will have a strong influence. He's always been protective and he's never had a girlfriend. I wish I was his mate but I doubted I ever could be.

"How common is it to have a strong wolf instinct?" I inquired. I hoped that Kit may know something about werewolves.

"I honestly don't know that much about werewolves except what I've told you as well as that werewolves are territorial. You won't like anyone, especially other werewolves, invading your territory," Kit stated factually.

DPOV

I was trying to focus on what Dad was saying. Really, I was. Chloe's smell was quickly overwhelming my brain and I only wanted to bury my head in her neck. I could feel myself inching towards her.

_No. You are not allowed anywhere near her neck._

_**Oh, but my Chloe always smells so good.**_

_My Chloe?_

_**Yes, she's always been mine. We just need to make it official.**_

_You will do no such thing._

_**Sure I will.**_

I fumbled for control over my actions but the wolf quickly won. My body was now directly behind Chloe. I was probably close enough to make her wonder what on Earth I was doing but I didn't have a choice anymore. The wolf—

_**My name is Nik. Stop calling me "the wolf".**_

Nik ducked down and leant against Chloe. I could feel two sets of eyes on me and figured that there was no point in stopping him now. They already think I'm crazy. The silence was overwhelming but the smell and the feel of Chloe so close to me was enough to make me careless.

"Uh, Chloe. I think we might want to get Derek to bed. He seems rather tired," Dad stated.

"Right. Sounds good. I'll just—" Chloe started, pulling away. I couldn't let that happen. I wasn't ready for her to leave. I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back against me. I didn't want to go anywhere and that meant Chloe wasn't going anywhere unless it was a necessity.

"What's going on Derek?" Chloe asked. She gripped my arms but didn't attempt to pull them away. Her hands were so small. _Random much?_

"Nothing. M'fine," I said.

"I'll make some calls. I don't know what's going on with him," Dad said.

CPOV

I could feel Derek's breath against the back of my neck, obviously not something I minded. I wondered what was going on with him. He'd never acted like this before and I was incredibly worried. Derek was never much of a touchy-feely person and he suddenly decided my neck was his pillow? And just when I'd started comprehending that, he silently added that he wouldn't let me go. So, I simply stood there and got lost in the feeling of his arms around me.

The doorbell was enough to break me out of my happy place. Derek's head whipped up towards the door and he started growling. I leaned back against him to prevent him from doing anything too drastic. I looked up with question in my eyes. I then grabbed Derek's head and tilted it down so he was looking at me.

"Werewolf," Derek barked. _How does he know what werewolf smells like?_

He let me go and prowled closer to the door. He looked outside and glanced back. Kit, who was standing behind me, told him to let them in and went back to making…sandwiches? I looked at the clock and wondered two things. First, who would be visiting in the middle of the night? Second, who would be eating while visiting someone else's house in the middle of the night? If it were me, I would want to make the visit as short as possible so I could go back to sleep.

"Good evening. Judging based on that look, you must be Derek." The man stuck his hand out for Derek to shake. He looked completely unsurprised when Derek didn't shake it.

"Derek, be polite." I gave him a look saying I was not at all pleased. "We're still working on his people skills."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure us being here is a major offense. I'm still teaching Clay here those same people skills. He's not as far along," the man stated. He didn't look much older than Derek and I. He was handsome with his dark hair and dark eyes. He was tall but didn't look as muscular as the other guy.

Clay was super-model attractive. He had blonde hair and blue eyes with muscle to spare. The first thought that came into my head was _he has a girlfriend. _If he didn't, it was certainly something to wonder about. Girls were likely to snap him up.

"Jeremy, come on in. I was just making sandwiches," Kit called. He came into the room with two plates full of sandwiches. "I imagine you still eat the same amount."

"Of course," Jeremy said. "Now, Derek, I'm sure you're wondering what we're doing here. Your father called and asked us to come over because you were acting strangely. Is my memory correct that you have just had your first partial change?"

"Yes, he did," I said. Derek was obviously not comfortable talking to him. I decided that this was too important to leave him to his devices.

"And what was the weird behavior?" Jeremy muttered, shushing Clay who had mumbled something too low for me to hear.

"Well, Kit was explaining what happened to us because neither of us knew that Derek was a werewolf. Then Derek just walked behind me and leant his head against my shoulder. I'm not quite sure why," I told them.

"I believe that I can explain but I'm not sure Derek wants everyone to hear this," Jeremy started. At the end of his sentence, he mumbled something incomprehensible. Derek had obviously heard though because he blushed slightly and nodded his head. "We will speak outside, in that case."

I grabbed Derek's arm as he moved past me to head outside to talk to the two werewolves. I pulled on his arm saying, "What's going on?"

"He's just going to tell me some stuff about werewolves and mates," Derek mumbled. He pulled me into a quick hug. "Don't worry about it. You go back to the living room with Tori and Liz and go to sleep."

"_Go to sleep?!_ I just found out my best friend," _and current love interest_, I added in my head. "Is a werewolf. And you just want me to go to bed without any more explanation?"

"Exactly."

"Fine." I said, going into the living room. As soon as I heard the door close I counted to ten and then returned to the kitchen. I wasn't going to eavesdrop, not like I could have if I wanted to, I just planned to wait there for Derek to return and then I'd hear what was happening and get yelled at. Probably wouldn't occur in that order though.

_**A/N: Okay. And that would be the chapter it took me a week to write. That just proved to me that I shouldn't skip the weekends. In any case, the chapter name is Howlin' because I had Howlin' For You by The Black Keys stuck in my head all day when I wrote the beginning. xD Okay. Anyways, I hope you like it. Let me know. Also, I wasn't planning on making Derek a werewolf so soon but hey, it worked.**_

_**R&R,**_

_**~MSOMS**_

_**P.S. Is anyone as excited to see Jeremy and Clay as I was to write them? I don't think I did them justice. Let me know!**_


	5. She? There's a she?

_**A/N: I know it's been ages so I won't bother you any more with the top author's note.**_

CPOV

Derek's talk seemed to take _forever._ I was worried about him being alone with the other werewolves the whole time. At one point, I crept close to the doo,l,r to try to hear part of what was being said but, of course, they were talking way too quietly for me to hear. At that distance, they would have had to be almost yelling.

After what seemed to be ages, I heard footsteps approaching the door. Next, the murmur of voices reached my ears. I held my breath until Derek's voice drifted through just quiet loud enough to be a rumble. The very sound seeped through me and calmed my nerves almost immediately.

"You should just tell her," Jeremy's voice said. The statement was accompanied by a grunt from Derek that said he'd heard this before. _Just tell her? Her? There's a girl?_

The door creaked as it let the men in. The image provided by Derek, Jeremy, and Clay was one that I'm sure Jamie and Liz would have loved. The three were all gorgeous but in different ways. In many cases, a group of attractive people would have one person who stood out and mad everyone else look awful by comparison. Let me tell you, that was definitely not the case here. Their appearances seemed to compliment the others'. It was astonishing to realize that one of those guys was my best friend. Indeed, he was someone I could spend all my time with and hug all I wanted.

I got up and ran to Derek, throwing my arms around him. I felt him hesitantly return my embrace. I took in his sharp scent, letting myself dissect its components. Derek always smelled like a combination of woods and cinnamon. I would never tire of this.

"Um…Chloe? Are you okay?" Derek rumbled. I didn't often hug him for no reason. Of course, there was a reason this time. I had been so worried but there was absolutely no chance of me admitting that in front of two strangers.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I said, burying my head in his chest. Derek's arms tightened around me as he lifted me up. I rested my head against his chest and closed my eyes. His heart beat was quicker than normal but was slowly calming down. The steady thumping was weighing my eyelids down as I struggled to remain awake.

"She's probably just tired. I'll walk you to the door," Derek whispered to the others. A voice responded, saying they could let themselves out. I didn't take the time to determine who had said it. I was too warm and secure to care. I felt the gentle rocking that told me that Derek was walking. I heard the click of the deadbolt while the movement paused. The rocking increased as Derek moved up the stairs. He set me down on a bed but I wouldn't release his neck enough for him to leave. He shifted the covers around me. I smiled and opened my eyes when I realized that the bed smelt like Derek.

"Chloe, honey, I need you to let go," Derek stated. _I don't want him to leave. Why is he leaving?_

"No. Stay," I pouted. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. My brain couldn't process why he wouldn't want to be with me.

"At least let me get ready for bed." Apparently his partial change and the events leading up to it had prevented him from even thinking about sleep because he was still wearing his clothes from the day before. I released him, pulling a pillow from the head of the bed and burying my face in it. I heard the sound of Derek moving around. Eventually, the rustling stilled and the bed shifted as Derek got in. I flipped over to look at him before moving closer and putting the pillow under his head. He wrapped his arms around my waist. I laid my head down on his chest, asleep before either of us could say anything.

~linebreak~

"They're so cute when they're like that!" A shrill voice was whisper-yelling right above my head. I brushed it off thinking that I was half-asleep and still dreaming.

"Shhh! You'll wake them!" A second voice joined the first, admonishing the initial culprit. I realized that I should probably find out if I was dreaming or hearing things but I simply couldn't open my eyes. I was too warm and relaxed to move. The voices soon quieted down, allowing me to return to my dream world.

~linebreak~

The next morning, I woke up feeling incredibly warm. But it wasn't that uncomfortable warmth you get from a too-heavy-blanket. Rather, it was not just physical heat but also emotional warmth. The kind of warmth I get from hugging my parents…or…Derek?

I finally opened my eyes as my pondering took this sudden twist into account. I was confronted by the image of Liz and Tori leaning over me. I jumped back, trying to escape their eyes. My landing was cushioned by what felt like a body. Well, I probably shouldn't say cushioned because whoever was behind me was clearly muscular. I could also feel a part of him that was probably not something I needed to feel.

"Oof," an incredibly familiar voice exclaimed from behind me. I blushed and glanced back to see that Derek was too busy looking at the ceiling to notice my gaze. I followed his eyes and tried to figure out what within the bleakness to contain his attention so much. He was always a focused guy but never this intent about interior design. _Oh! Maybe Simon should draw something on the ceiling. That would be cool. You would just be laying here and then you'd look up and see Simon's work. Oh wait. That's a seriously off-track thought._

"Sorry, Der. I was just spooked by the demons hovering around," I told him, burying my face against his neck. I unconsciously kissed his neck, hoping he wouldn't mind. I couldn't get our kiss (make-out session) out of my head and I really wanted, no needed to, have a repeat performance. I had already known that he was the sweetest guy I had ever met but that proved he could also be insanely passionate when he wanted to be.

"Whoa, love-birds. We don't need little Chlerek babies running around here just yet. Plus we're definitely hitting the mall today!" Tori exclaimed. If I didn't know her so well, I honestly would have been shocked to see Tori so excited about anything. However, knowing her as I did, I knew that Tori loves shopping. Although she would never admit it, she also loves her family; which includes Derek and me. She wants us to be happy and if acting so insanely cheesy makes us happy, then so be it.

"Go away. You know how much I hate going to the mall more than once a week. This is ridiculous Tori," I mumbled. I peeked out at her and could see her rolling her eyes. _As if that wasn't predictable. _"Derek save me."

Derek just chuckled and shook his head. He probably knew that there was no way that he would get his sister to change her mind. As with Tori, Derek refuses to acknowledge the familial bond between them but clearly cares for her. I hit him with my best puppy-dog face in an attempt to get him to get me out of this. As usual, it worked like a charm.

"Tori. Chloe's staying." With that comment, Caveman Derek returned. I giggled into his shoulder at that thought and he tightened his arm around me.

"No, she's not. She's not because you're coming with us. We have to celebrate your guys' new coupley-ness." She gave a snarky smirk at that comment, turned on her heel, and left the room.

"But we're not a couple!" _Yet._ I called after her. Derek and I had yet to talk about what happened with the whole Truth or Dare debacle because of all that had happened since then. I really hoped that after this we would become what Tori predicted but was still unsure.

**A/N: Well, well, well. Look who's back. Oh! It's me. Sorry it took so long guys but it's been a busy summer. I have got to find more time to enjoy myself. Oh well. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and definitely let me know what you think. I may need to go back and check some of the past events but not right now because I'm really tired. Not that I'll be sleeping. Stupid storm. Can't turn my computer off because League is loading as well. Grrrr.**

**R&R,**

***in a silly girly voice* hugs and butterfly kisses,**

**Msoms**

**P.S. If you get that reference I will love you forever. Just saying.**


End file.
